Quantitative separation of materials



Dec. 26, 1939. L. HoYdls 2,184,594

QUANTITATIVE srzmmn ou OF MATERIALS Filed April 2, 1936 Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES MATERIAL QUANTITATIVE SEPAgA'lION oi Leon Hoyois, Gilly, Belgium- Application April 2, 1936, Serial No. 72,410. 'In' 5Claiml.

The invention relates to the treatments of materials in grains or pieces, more particularly, but not exclusively, minerals, coals and the like, in order to insure predetermined quantities and, or

5 classes or categories of said materials to be removed or separated from a mass thereof.

To this end the invention mainly consists in carrying the materials in the form of a current, for example in the form of a washing bed, while a permitting, during the advance of the materials,

the separation of at least a part of the current, for example by allowing the bed to fall in. and then to act on the portions separating from one another, as well as on the separated portion, by

means of adjustable water currents in such a way that the action of said currents on the portions separating from one another is either null or controlled, while the separated portion is acted upon by a current having an adjusted value between predetermined limits, particularly from a 'zero value to a maximum.

The invention also consists in. providing currents such and combined in such a way that by means of any one of them a hydrostatic head may be placed on an adjustable discharge opening while, on the one hand, by means of one or certain currents and aside from the said hydrostatic head or a part thereof, a current flowing towards the discharge opening may be provided, which 0 current is without action on the separated por-' tion and, on the other hand, by means of one or certain other currents and aside from the said hydrostatic head or a part thereof, a predetermined current towards the discharge opening a may be provided, which current is adapted to act on the separated portion to insure a desired discharge of the latter.

Also the invention consists to preferably so arrange the adjustable currents indicated in the 40 foregoing paragraphs relatively to .an adjustable opening that the paths of flow of certain of said currents towards said opening does not concord or correspond with the paths of flow of certain other of said currents towards said opening, the

' paths of certain of the said currents only encountering the separated portion. 1

Further the invention consists to preferably ar-. range the separated portion in the form of a column, and to canalize the current orcurrents adapted to cause the discharge of said portion.

Aside from the aforesaid features, the inven-. tion comprises certain other features more explicitly described in the following complementary description in which the invention shall be exemplifled in one of its preferred applications, 1. e.

right inthe passage L, which is equal to the sup- France, and Great Britain April 12.

that of the treatment of coals and the like, as effected bymeans of the apparatus, illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the annexed drawing in which:

Figs, 1, 2 and 3 represent in sectional longitudi- 6 na] elevation a sorting apparatus enabling the process in accordance with the invention, to be carried out under different operating conditions.

With reference to the drawing, A designates a trough of treatment, showing ,a certain general slope and provided with a supply of materials B and an adjustable water inlet C.

A slot or opening D is formed in the bottom of the trough, extending the whole width of said bottom, the useful area of said slot or opening being adjustable by means of a movable damper G.

Preferably, a weir F is provided downstream of the slot or opening D as illustrated.

Depending on the trough A, below the slot or opening D, is arranged a box E provided with a discharge opening 0 the cross area of which is adjustable by means of the damper P, and with two water inlets K and J adjustable by means of the valves or cocks I and 2.

Further, the box is preferably provided with two partitions H and I bounding a space R adapted to receive the materials entering the box through the slot or opening D, as well as with two walls S and T forming extensions to the partitions H and I and providing for two passages L.

With the apparatus arranged as described, the operation is as follows the cock or valve 2 being closed, if the cock or valve I is opened, the water supplied through the pipe J passes to and feeds the discharge opening 0.

Then the progressive opening of the cock or valve causes the water to enter the box E and the trough vA up to the level of the upper edge a of the weir F. Atthis moment all the water supplied through the pipeJ is discharged at the opening 0 and no current flows through the passage L and the slot or opening D.

Assuming the water-supply from the pipe J is reduced, the water level within the trough A will naturally be loweredbelow the edge a, but by opening the cock or valve 2' controlling the water supply K, the water level within the trough A may be restored at the levelof the edge a. At this moment a current flows from the left to the ply from the pipe K while-no current flows through the opening or'slot D.

The combination of the two currents J and K thus enables, togetherwith a hydrostatic head h, as

a current to be obtained fiowing from the leit to the right within the passage L. and which may be adjusted as desired from a maximum value corresponding to the complete closure or the cook or valve I to zero value corresponding to the complete closure of the valve or cook I.

In operation, assuming coals are to be treated, while the water level is maintained at the level of the edges a 01 the weir 1" as aforesaid, the ma-- terials fed in the trough A and carried therein by the adjusted water current issued from the supply C, arrange themselves in the form of a washing bed abutting against the weir F and on which move the materials carried by the water current flowing along the trough.

On the slot or opening D, the washing bed falls in, and the materials freely fall within the space R;

Assuming the established conditions are such that no current fiows through the passage L, the materials entering the space R settle on the bottom of the box E and form therein a hillock the height of which progressively increases, and fills completely the space R as illustrated in Fig. 1. Under such conditions the materials entering the trough at B pass as a whole over the weir F. and the opening 0 discharges nothing than water from the pipe J.

On the contrary if the conditions are such that there is caused to flow from the left to the right within the passage L a current the value of which is adjusted in the manner aforesaid, said current will carry continuously, towards the discharge opening 0, a portion of the mass deposited on the bottom oi. the box, the carried portion depending only on the value of said current.

The mass of material supplied at B is then divided up into two portions when passing over the slot or opening D, a portion passing over the weir F and another portion passing through the slot or opening within the space R, this latter portion being naturally equal to that carried towards the discharge opening 0 through the current flowing irom left to right within the passage L. l

It results from the above that by an appropriate adjustment of the water supplies J and K any desired discharge, that is to say the desired extraction at the slot or opening D will be obtained. Figure 2 illustrates the described operation. In case the velocityoi the current in the passage L is sufilcient to remove the material'as it settles on the bottom of the box, the space R empties and the' hillock disappears (Fig. 3). The quantity of material removed through the slot or opening D then reaches its maximum value, controlled by the area of the slot or opening, the cross section of the discharge opening 0 being naturally calculated to enable a larger discharge than that of the slot or opening D.

Thus by suitably adjusting the cocks I and 2, a predetermined quantity of material can be extracted from the trough A, which quantity may be adjusted at any desired value between zero and a maximum value controlled by the sectional area of the opening or slot D.

Should the materials supplied at B be formed with grains or particles of difierent sizes and shapes, as for example in the case of a raw mass of coals, minerals and the like, said grains and particles, under the action of the carrying current from C arrange themselves in superimposed layers, more or less according to their decreasing arses specific weights from the lower to the upper portion of the bed thus termed.

Owing to the removal taking place at the slot or opening D, a partot the lower layers, and consequently the heavier products of the bed enter 5 the space R.

The removal being adjustable at will, as aioresaid, it follows that the process enables the original mass introduced at the head of the trough A, and already classified, to be divided into two secondary masses oi which the one, removed at D will be mainly formed of the most dense products and the other, which remains in the trough- A and passes over the weir F, will be mainly formed of the lighter products, the adjustment of the opening or slot D and of the two cocks I and 2 enabling the relation between the two masses to be adjusted as desired.

It also enters with the limits of the invention to so arrange the currents J and K that particles the removal of which is not desired. are retained In the trough, or to permit the entrance to the space R of particles of which a discharge may be desired.

To this end, and while the materials of the trough A are classified in the order of their densities, an ascending current may be created in the space R which enters the trough through the slot or opening D, said current being such as to retain in the trough the particles, the density of which is less than a given limit.

Both cocks I and 2, or the cock 2 alone being in operation, a controlled increase of the output of this lattercock relative to its output value adapted to cause the desired discharge current in the passage L over a part or all the hydrostatic head h, will enable an ascending current to be obtained in the space R and through the opening or slot D. The particles, the density of which is lower than the limit corresponding to the ascending force of the said current are then prevented to pass through the slot or opening D and, to the contrary, are carried away over. the weir F together with the light particles.

On the contrary should it become apparent that the materials passing over the weir F retain particles the density of which is greater than a predetermined limit, it would be sufilcient, while bothcocks I andiorthecockialonearein' operation to reduce with the desired value the hydrostatic head formed by said cock 2 to obtain a descending currentin the space R. The particles, the density 01- which is greater than a given limit, willthen pass through the slot or opening D and be discharged at the opening 0.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the treatment of coals or minerals, but is also applicable to the treatment of any other material in grains, particles, or pieces having a greater density than that of a liquid selected to execute the desired treatment,

It will also be understood that modiflcatio may be made in the process and that said process may be repeated, one or several times on any one of several of the portions resulting from the division of an original raw mass.

I claim:

l. A process for treating materials in grains or pieces, such as minerals, coals and the like, to remove desired portions thereof, consisting in 70 forming a liquid body with liquid currents therein and a discharge therefrom, forming a mass of said materials in the form of a current with a meeting zone between said body and said current of materials, by means or liquid currents oi the u body placing a liquid head on the discharge giving a predetermined discharge and a practically quiet state in the said meeting zone, placing at the said meeting zone the current of materials in a material separating condition relative to the said body, whereby a portion of the current of materials is allowed to enter the liquid body and, by means of the liquid currents of the body, mechanically separating out and carrying to the discharge a quantitative portion of the materials entering the liquid body.

2. A process for treating materials in grains or pieces, such as minerals, coals and the like, to remove desired portions thereof, consisting in forming a liquid body with liquid currents therein and a discharge therefrom, forming a mass of said materials in the form of a current with a meeting zone between said liquid body and said current, placing said current in material separating'condition relative to the said body at the said meeting zone, by means of liquid currents of the body placing a predetermined liquid head on the discharge with a discharge of predetermined value and a predetermined ascending current in the said meeting zone, whereby particles of predetermined nature and density enter the said liquid body and, by means of liquid currents of the body, mechanically separating out and carrying to the discharge a quantitative portion of the materials entering the liquid body.

3. A process for treating materials in grains or pieces, such as minerals, coals and the like, to remove desired portions thereof, consisting in forming a liquid body with liquid currents there- 'in and a discharge therefrom, forming a mass of said materials in the form oil a current with a meeting zone between said liquid body and said current, placing said current in material separating condition relative to said body at the said meeting zone, by means or the vliquid currents oi the body placing a predetermined liquid head on the discharge and forming a discharge of predetermined value, whereby portions of the current of materials enter the liquid body and, by means of liquid currents of the body, mechanically separating out and carrying to the discharge a quantitative portion of the materials having entered the liquid body.

4. A process for treating materials in grains, or pieces, such as minerals, coals and the like, to remove desired portions thereof, consisting in forming a liquid body with liquid currents therein and a discharge therefrom, forming a mass of said materials in the form of a current with a meeting zone between said liquid body and said current of materials, placing said current in material separating condition relative to said body at the said meeting zone, by means of liquid currents of the body placing a. predetermined liquid head on the discharge and forming a discharge of predetermined value, whereby portions of the current of materials enter the liquid body, by means of liquid currents of the body mechanically separating out and carrying tothe discharge portions of the materials entering the liquid body, and varying the adjustment of the last named liquid currents to vary the quantity of the discharged portions from zero to a maxim value.

5. A process for treating materials in grains or pieces, such as materials, coals andthe like to remove desired portions thereof, consisting in forming a liquid body with liquid currents therein and a discharge therefrom, forming a mass of said materials as a current with a meeting zone between the said liquid body and current of materials, placing said current in material separating condition relative to said body at the meeting zone whereby portions of the current of materials enter the body, causing the materials entering the body to form a hillock therein and by means of liquid currents of the body mechanically separating out and carrying to the discharge 

